Ugandan army attacks rebel camps in eastern Congo

The Ugandan army on Friday attacked rebel camps in eastern Congo, an army spokesman said.

“We have attacked ADF bases in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)R Congo this afternoon. Shared intelligence between Uganda and the DRC, confirmed that the ADF terrorists who recently carried out attack on UN peace keepers under MONUSCO, were planning to conduct hostile activities against Uganda. In a preemptive move, this afternoon UPDF conducted attacks on their camps in Eastern DRC,” he said.

The spokesperson however clarified that the Ugandan army didn’t enter the territory of DRC, rather they used long range guns and planes to attack the ADF bases.

“ADF terrorists may only buy time but will be targeted wherever they are hiding!,” he said. Local media reported that the Ugandan army deployed heavily along the DRC-Uganda border following the deadly attack that killed 15 UN peacekeepers in Eastern Congo.

The attack was attributed to the ADF and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) explained that the deployment followed reports that the rebels planned to attack Uganda.

In the 1990s, the ADF rebels terrorized the Rwenzori region in the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Kabarole for over a decade. During the insurgency, the rebels are believed to have killed more than 3,000 people and displaced 100,000.

The last time Uganda sent its troops into DRC in pursuit of rebels, it was charged for plunder of the country’s resources.

The International Court of Justice, the UN’s highest court, ruled that Uganda was guilty of “occupying Ituri (a region in the DRC), violations of sovereignty, illegal use of force, violations of international human rights laws and looting and plunder” between August 1998 and June 2003.